Midnight Secrets
by Casting Moonlight
Summary: Starscream receives a late night call from Shockwave who proposes a serious request from the seeker Prince. Rated for implied events only. Little Prince 'verse.


**Title:** Midnight Secrets  
><strong>PairingsCharacters: **Thundercracker/Skywarp/Starscream; Shockwave  
><strong>Verse:<strong> G1  
><strong>Words:<strong> 1925  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Hints of interfacing, brief language.  
><strong>Summary: <strong>Starscream receives a late night call from Shockwave who proposes a serious request from the seeker Prince. Rated for implied events only. Little Prince 'verse.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I don't own anything.  
><strong>Notes:<strong> Starscream does not have a scratchy vocalizer, his voice is well cultured and strong. Skywarp cannot warp and Thundercracker does not possess the ability to break the sound barrier.

Enjoy!

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><p><em>Vrrrrr. Vrrrrr. Vrrrrr.<em>

Starscream was awoken in the dark time of the night-cycle by the sound of his console pinging at him. The constant pinging meant that someone was calling him. Starscream groaned quietly, uncurling from his wingmate's embraces.

_Vrrrrr. Vrrrrr. Vrrrrr._

They had celebrated the finding of their fourth rather... eagerly and thoroughly. In response there was really nothing more that he wanted to do than to shutter his optics and recharge so his systems could fully cool down from the vigorous activities prior. Giving the console a deliberating glance, he decided to wait it out.

_Vrrrrr. Vrrrrr. Vrrrrr._

If he didn't answer the call, his console would record the message that the Pit-forsaken being who was actually awake and dared to call him this late in the first place needed to give him. He had no obligation to answer calls this late -or was it actually early?- in the cycle.

The console's gray glowing screen went completely black in shut down mode and the annoying pinging fell silent. Starscream smirked triumphantly, already turning to burrow deep in his wingmates' arms again.

_Vrrrrr. Vrrrrr. Vrrrrr._

Starscream turned a fiery glower on the console which was blaring out the ping again. He growled lowly, shifting and sitting up to answer blasted call. Starscream cursed softly when his wing accidentally hit Skywarp's. It was a light nudge but because of a seeker's wing sensitivity even that could rouse a seeker that recharged as deep as Skywarp.

The purple and black seeker moaned, shuttering his red optics open dimly, questioning him silently. Starscream gave his wingmate a tired grin but simply stroked the irritated wing and shushed him back to recharge. Once his wingmate was once again deep in his recharging cycle, he swung his legs over the berth and stalked over to the console. Sitting down on the bench heavily and flicking the screen on, he tapped the touch-sensitive screen and accepted the call with a very pronounced scowl.

Starscream was fairly surprised when he saw Shockwave's upper body appear on the screen.

"Shockwave?" He questioned in surprise. The surprise quickly fell second to his weary annoyance. His optics narrowed as he asked in irritation, "What do I owe the pleasure of this _late_ ne-house call?"

Shockwave seemed to regard him with a certain air of distaste, as he remained silent for a few breems. Then his smooth cultured voice rang through the quiet room, "Do you make it a habit to interface and not wash up before answering a call?"

Starscream scowled at Shockwave. Only this mech could insult him like this and get away with it.

Instead of shifting back to hide the markings in the shadows of his room, he smirked smugly and straightened, allowing the screen's light to boldly show the scruffs of purple and blue paint he had exchanged with his wingmates during their celebration.

"I see no reason too bother cleaning up when bots call me in the middle of the night. You interrupted my recharge and what I do is none of your business, now is it Shockwave?"

"I suppose not." Shockwave said quietly, turning his optic to study something off screen.

Starscream frowned at the one optic'd mech. There was something wrong with him.

Shockwave was always efficient and complete in all his doings, he never spoke without knowing how he would end and he never took a step without knowing where he would end up. The mech almost seemed worried which was also unusual. Not much could shake a mech so secure in his credits and social standing and Starscream felt a prick of worry for what could have possibly troubled this most often unflappable mech.

Starscream would have asked what was wrong if he didn't know how a processor like Shockwave's worked. When **he** was working on something or thinking hard on a topic, Starscream hated being asked just about anything! So he would wait. Despite being annoyed at the timing, Shockwave would not call if it was not important.

"Starscream, I must ask you... not to announce your finding of Prowl." Shockwave said looking up, golden optic piercingly serious.

Something in his spark fluttered at the sound of Prowl's name and the sensation of happiness bubbled up again, the pure joy of finally finding his fourth, their fourth, but along with the joy came a sense of foreboding at the request Shockwave made.

Leaning forward slightly he asked quietly, as if whatever had gotten Shockwave this nervous was listening nearby, "What do you mean?"

Of course there was always the chance of someone listening in on his communications so his concern wasn't unreasonable either. He had luckily been companions with Shockwave via political scrap type stuff and Shockwave did not like a eavesdropper anymore than Starscream did so he always used a communication link that was heavily encrypted with firewalls.

On the physical side of things, there had luckily been no assassination attempts on any of his mates or himself; but that, he rationalized, was because of his missing fourth. As a simple trine he really had no solid higher authority. While being a regular trine had given them a safety period it also posed a problem.

The reason behind this problem was because even in his Council there were corrupted seekers seeking a new position of power and where better than to fault the Prince as a disgrace to royal lines than to claim him unable to reach a quatrine status. So for vorns he had been combating his own Council at every exhausting turn. With Prowl's, his spark flip flopping in his chamber at the name, appearance he had hoped to clear up many of the problems caused by his non-existence.

However this plan would obviously not come about. Starscream's spark flip-flopped for a different reason as his processor turned over a fearful possibility. Had someone found out about Prowl already? Were they aiming to **hurt** Prowl?

Shockwave must have seen something close to fear in his optics because he shook his head and said, "Relax Starscream. There is no immediate danger. I only ask this of you because Prowl is a sparkling and has a long time to experience a normal life-cycle before the choices he must make. If you announce he is your fourth mate there will be chaos and attention from both good intentions and equally bad intentions. These intentions may only serve to confuse him as he upgrades or, worse, put him in danger."

"Yes..." Starscream said slowly, nodding in agreement.

Shuttering his optics he could already picture his little Prowl being badgered by all the mechs and femmes around him in an attempt to get closer to the Prince of the Seekers. Leaning against the back of the custom seeker chair he sighed quietly. "It makes sense. I will inform the media that we were not successful and the heavy disappointment has given me zero motivation to search again for a great while." He said mournfully.

There was nothing more that he, they, wanted than to watch and be there with Prowl as he upgraded. However to keep him safe they would keep their distance for as long as needed to keep him safe and happy. No matter how it might hurt them to do so.

"Starscream, do not pull conclusions from this request." Shockwave's voice pulled him from his thoughts and he shuttered his optics open and looked at Shockwave curious. "There will be a way for you to be with Prowl despite this course of action."

Hope surged through him and he asked quickly, "What is it?"

"I have secured some rather interesting findings and blueprints for opportune experiments that a scientist mind like yours may appreciate. Of course your wingmates are welcome at my Tower at any time as well. You may come and visit **me **anytime you wish to do so. I hardly ever leave." Shockwave said oddly casual for their serious conversation, but his confusion dissipated and Starscream's optics widened in delight at the inflection he used on the last sentence, particularly the word 'me'.

Grinning widely, he practically purred, "If I were standing next to you I would have kissed you."

The purple mech shook his head, "Then I thank Primus for small miracles." and the feed was cut from Shockwave's end. The resulting shut down of the console left Starscream in the darkness of his room and free to recharge once more. However, he felt no need for recharge now and he roused his wingmates, sharing the news over their bond as soon as they were coherent.

Overjoyed in the arrangements created with Shockwave and the protection they had served their to-be-mate, the trine left the comfort of their berth and raced to the what served as their Tower's balcony.

The Prince's Tower was the highest in Vos and would more appropriately be titled Tower_s_. The main spiral tower was where the quatrine would recharge while three more spiral towers rested to the side and underneath. The first spiral tower was a living room, the second a large type of room where personal projects by the quatrine were worked on, and the last was a dining room and kitchen.

They were all attached to each other with the same magnetic pulls as other buildings and also open air, railed walkways. The walkways were first designed when the first Praxian appeared in a quatrine. The walkways were seldom used besides for that as each spiral tower had open balconies that served as doors. The balconies were protected by highly sophisticated, made more so by Starscream himself, barriers that were coded to recognize certain spark signatures. The beauty of the walls of the berthroom, or nest, were simple, able to turn transparent at Starscream's whim while the top was open and protected by the same misty energy as created by the outer ring and offer them a full view except for the floor which remained normal.

Dashing out of the nest balcony and darting throughout the sky, Starscream danced with his wingmates. If anyone looked up, they would not see the three seekers as they soared with the wind, looping and whirling to convey their joy as the midnight sky hid their secret.

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